Centrifugally released clutch



Patented Feb. 9, 1954 Bintmanf Illinnisv y Electricompanyai a. corporation rol-.arl

This 'relatesetofa -frictiowfclutche and.- relates 1 particularly '-toisuehf'la-clutchlladapted toy bii1d--^` together-a drivinglrotatablememberfandffaf drivenfrotatableA member efcr rotation4 asfva unitwbut adapteditofdisengage*thefrotatablefmembers atea*- predeterminedspeed-aofiK rotaticn 1 Inifmany structures=where-theres'are yprovideddri'vingrotatable inembersf-and" driverr :rotatablei members, it i'snecessary''tomprovide'means "for-f" disengaging these members at or aboveaprede-l terminedls'peed of-`-"r'otatioir-"and-4 forfdisengag-ing theivrotatable-fmembersfffor rotation "of *the 'cuni-tr atspeeds below'esaid predetermined^speed:'- The present'@ yinvention '-'-is concerned'ewithra frictionl clutchforaccomplishingfthseresults"*=The`fricf means-"for:bindingthe-*rotatable -members toa i' gethe'rfrThis'ffrictiong meansisfpreferably "inthe formof V'at *least* onefrictiorrmember-*movable awafyefromatfleastf one` offth'e'rotatable members andfreleasesesaidf rotatable-member after-"a pre; A

determinedrs'peed offrotationrhas *been-reached:

The-frictionmemberis urgedoutwardly-bycoen#- trifugal -forces actinghthereonfand`v is'surgedrin;A

wardly-'in bindingl relationship with'at *least'rone fri'ctionfmember-being^a-springmeans or Ishveiik4 TheA urgingjnfieansy Y'may -beleasilyadj usted-*sor that tionshipluntil a centrifugalrforce?equivalenti-to'"a predetermined speedI hasv beenrre'ached The frictionrclutchfof zthis- *inventionwis arrecient i:

structure ithat 'can*b.e"^arranged tooperate at zal'-` most'anypredetermine'd speed, yet is Simpleand" inexpensive in construction. solves the! problemof providing a simple arrangement .that .can.be adjusted to .roperateat .any..de. sired predetermined speed 4and that will give trouble-freeeperation throughout-thfl-ife of the clutches,

The inventionjzvill.bedescribediassrelatedetc-the embodimentirshowrrin-the.accmnpanying\draw ngsie. Of .thefdrawings L .Eigr is- :anv sectional. ele-J.. vatio'n .takene-Llongitudinally...through a friction. clutch; Fig.-2.. is. a.. transverse .section take'n-sub'f stantiallyi along. the.line.2...f2 ofvliel andililigiA is A:a; transverse section taken substaritiallyfalongv linefS- .of EiTg. l.

The friction clutch shown in the accompanying drawings comprises a driving rotatable member IB, here shown as a first shaft, and a driven rotatable member II, here shown as a second shaft. The axes of rotation of the two rotatable members are substantially aligned and the two members are closely adjacent each other. The driving rotatable member I0 is provided with a It successfully' ofthe drivene'rotatablelmember I I tare cache-bf Aarrdf lextending:around` thefffriction members :I

square endsllllaeld'infa collar t-Iljl?"Iliifadcen *f* end of thedrivenlrotatablimember I'fl"bisprovidedim with a hollow substantially cylindrical collar'I"3l-i attached thereto-Thiextreme end oliitlit,E

Arotatablemember IUfbeyond the #colla IZ Bassa t Thfriction membersY are fittedloselyth" 'e`reinv sof" that they-may=move'outwardly ywhen -subjectedztb'r centrifugal force'n equivalenIrto "a predetermined"gli speed? Ealr-- friction-f member MI B` hasvsubsta tiallyr semi'ecircula'r inner and outer surfaces-fas" shown inFig. 2. The two friction membersrl" are'urgediagainstthenuter surfaces'of thecollars I 2"' andA AISbya pair of. c'oil ""sprin'gst" and: I 9?? These coil: springs." aref arranged". substantially""': parallel't'o eachother:and'inspacedapart rela-L l tionship; 1 One coil` springl :is locatedopposite' the`outer surfacesofthecollarI2j1while;th"othr" .r coil spring ISis located;pllositethe'outersur; face of thecollar I3. `The coilspring [8.is' located in .a .groove I-loL;r whilelth coils'pring tisllcatedl in a. second groove Iinthefrictlon .members IBLllI As shownin Fi'g'L13.witli'respectlto.springal9l.eachl of the'. springs LIll fand.. L91.' l`ave..,their. ends inter-L.. locked so xas .to.bescontin11ous. aroundjhe frictiong'i members .I.6.

The tensiorLofthelsprngs, I 8- 1`a'.`nd I ..so.regu;- latedthat when-.thelrotatabl.Smembraarernot.; rotating, the` friction members Ismare held against the outer surfaces of the collars I2 and i3. When the driving rotatable member I0 is rotated, the driven rotatable member II is also rotated due to the binding action of the friction members I6. Thusthe two rotatable members rotate as a unit until a predetermined maximum speed has been reached. This predeterminedV maximum speed, which is dependent on the tension of the springs I8 and I9, may be controlled by controlling the tension of the springs as related to the weight of the friction members I6. As soon as this predetermined speed is exceeded, centrifugal forces acting on the friction members I3 cause these friction members to move away from the surfaces of the collars I2 and I3 and against the inner surface of the casing I1. This outward movement of the friction members releases the driven rotatable member II so that this member stops rotating. The driving rotatable member I0, the casing I'I and the friction members I6 continue to rotate, however, while the reduced portion Ib rotates against the antifriction bearings within the interior of the collar I3. As soon as the speed of rotation of the driving rotatable member falls below the predetermined speed of rotation, the springs I8 and I9 force the friction members I6 against the collars I2 and I3 so that the two rotatable members are again bound together for rotation as a unit.

In order to permit radial movement of the friction members I6, there are provided a pair of studs 29 located diametrically opposite each other and held in the casing II in sliding engagement with openings provided in the friction members I6. The friction members slide freely on the studs during the radial movement of the friction members.

In the preferred construction, the area of the collar I3 that is contacted by the friction members I6 is considerably larger than the corresponding area of the collar I2. 'Ihis arrangement, which is illustrated in Fig. 1, is important as it aids in reducing slippage between the friction members and the collar I 3 when the friction members first contact the collar I3.

It is believed obvious that the friction clutch of this invention can be used on many installations where a speed responsive clutch is desired. One such installation is shown in my copending application Serial No. 56,802, led October 27, 1948, and now Patent No. 2,564,734, issued August 2l, 1951, wherein a vacuum cleaner is provided with an agitating means for a dust separating member with this agitating means being operable only when the vacuum cleaner motor is rotating at a speed less than a predetermined speed.

Having described my. invention as related to the embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, it is my intention that the invention be not limited by any of the details of description unless otherwise specified, but rather be construed broadly Within its spirit and scope as set out in the accompanying claims.

I claim:

1. A friction clutch comprising a driving rotatable member having a substantially circular end section, a driven rotatable member aligned with the rst member and having a substantially circular end section whose surface is substantially coextensive with the surface of the end section of the first rotatable member, said driving rotatable member having an extreme end portion extending into a cavity in the adjacent end of the driven rotatable member and rotatable therein, an anti-friction bearing between said extreme end portion and the inner wall of said cavity, a pair of friction members on opposides of said coextensive surfaces arranged to contact said surfaces and bind the rotatable members together for rotation as a unit, spring means extending around Iin contact with said friction members and urging the friction members in said contact, said friction members being movable away from said surfaces against said spring means under a centrifugal force equivalent to a predetermined speed of rotation, and a limiting means attached to said driving rotatable member and extending around the longitudinal surfaces of said friction members, said limiting means being normally spaced from the friction members for limiting the outward move- `ment of the friction members.

2. The friction clutch of claim 1 wherein the `surface of the driving rotatable member contacted by said friction members has a smaller area than the corresponding surface of said driven rotatable member, and a pair of saidl spring means are provided around the friction members, one of said spring means being located opposite said surface of the driving rotatable member, and the other spring means -being 1ocated opposite said surface of the driven rotatable member.

3. A rotatable friction clutch comprising a driving shaft, a driven shaft adjacent thereto, a concentric 'friction collar on each shaft mounted for rotation with its respective shaft, a con- I means being located opposite the driving shaft Y friction collar and another spring means being located opposite the driven shaft friction collar, said housing being provided with a plurality of inwardly directed substantially. radial guide members extending into openings in said clutch members CHARLES H. SPARKLIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Jimerson Dec. 12, 1944 

